It means to be drab, homely or old-fashioned – ‘motherly’, essentially. Why can’t we have some respect for mothers, instead of deriding them?
A recent newspaper headline – “Sorry Radley! These dated handbag brands will make you look mumsy – here’s where stylish A-listers and Royals are shopping instead” – reminded me of a word I despise: “mumsy”.
My list of words that make me want to throw things is varied and long, but “mumsy” is near the top. The quality of being mumsy means to be drab, homely or old-fashioned, essentially “motherly”. Something about the casual misogynistic contempt it carries makes me livid. So livid I might even use “that voice”. You know. The scary mum voice that turns misbehaving children in supermarkets into stone.
Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnist
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